Warehouse gang-plank



(No-Model.) zsneets-sneet 1. 0.*J. B. BOESELAGER.

WAREHOUSE GANG PLANE.

No. 476,601. Patented June 7, 1892.

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0. J. B. BOESELAGER. WARBHUUSE GANG PLANE.

No.476,601. Paterlted'June4 '7, 1892.

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ns co., mow-umu., wAsmmmn o c vrezuownsvs L UNTTED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

OTTO JOSEPH BARON BOESELAGER, OF MOUNT ANGEL, OREGON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 476,601, dated June 7, 1892.

Application tiled April 13, 1892. Serial No. 429,068. (No model.)

To all whom it 7oz/ay concern.-

Be it known t-hat I, OTTO JOSEPH BARON BOESELAGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Angel, in the county of Marion and State of Oregon,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVarehouse Gang-Planks.; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to gan g-planks for use in warehouses where heavy freight is stored.

The object ot' the invention is to facilitate the handling of the gang-plank (which is weighty) by one man and to suspend the same in the warehouse when not in use, so as to be out of the way.

The invention consists, essentially, of a counterbalanced gang plank mounted on wheels and adapted to be run in and out of the warehouse, wheels or carriages mounted on elevated tracks and connected by block and tackle with the inner or rear end of the plank, an iron frame pivotally connected with the outer end of the plank to support the same and having a brace-section which is held to the plank by spring-catches, said iron frame being mounted on wheels and adapted to be turned up on the said plank when not required for use, and block and tackle for raising and lowering the plank in the warehouse.

The invention further consists of the novel features, which will be hereinafter more fully speciiled andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation showingthe application of the invention,the gang-plank being run out and attached to the car to be loaded or unloaded. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l, showing the gang-plank run in,the folded position of the iron frame beingshown by dotted lines and the plank being shown elevated by dotted lines. Fig. 3 is an end view of the plank, showing the counterbalaiming-weights, the elevated rails, the carriages on the rails, and the block and tackle. Fig. i is a top plan view of the plank, a part being broken away between the ends.

The accompanying drawings show an adjustment of a heavy gang-plank for its easier handling from a warehouse to the freightcars and for hanging the plank up inside the warehouse when not in use, so that the plank takes up no room. It can be made to suit any warehouse building.

This invention consists, essentially, of three main parts: first, an iron structure adjusted to the fore part of the plank to carry half the weight of the said plank, (when outside of the warehouse,) and which is adapted to be moved over the platform to and from the cars, and which is mounted on wheels to facilitate the movements of the said plank; second, an iron bar with two grabs and a handle serving as a lever to throw the fore part of the plank into the car, and, third, the adjustment ot' the hind part of the plank to ropes which run over pulleys and balance the hind part of the plank by means of counter-weights and the adj ust` ment of these pulleys to carriages, (running on rails,) so that they can move forward and backward in the freight-house and at the same time allow the hind part of the plank to be moved up and down.

The gang-plank 2 (shown in the drawings) is of proper width and preferably composed of heavy oak planks about sixteen feet long by about one foot two inches wide, strongly bolted together, and weighs approximately four hundred pounds. The iron-struoture A works on the journals B B and is provided with a rear brace-section. W'hen in use, this structure is firmly held at the brace-section to the plank by two springs O and C, as shown, and can be moved to any angle on the platform to the cars by means ot wheels D and D. When not in use, by pulling outward the two springs O and O it can be laid over on the top of the gang-plank, turning on the journals B and B. The gang-plank runs on the floor of the warehouse on a pair of wheels g and g at its fore part and hangs in ropes on its hind part at a and n', balanced by weights m and m', as shown. The iron bar E is used for throwing the fore end of the gangplank into ears by means of the two grabs F and is worked by handle g2 as lever,which is attached to the bar E by a journal, so that the handle can be thrown over on the grabs F if not in use. The bar E slides to and fro in two eye-brackets H, as shown.

Inside the house, attached to the joists on each side over the plank, are rails O Yand O', on which run small carriages p and p', carrying the pulleys L and L. On these pulleys hangs the hind part of the plank, balanced nicely by weights, so that one man can easily handle the plank, with one hand, in and out of the warehouse, the hind part of the plank, hangin;T on the pulleys, moving forward and backward on the small wheels and rails and the fore part of the plank moving on the pair of Wheels Q',when inside the warehouse, or on the iron structure Aand its wheels D, outside the Warehouse, over the platform to the cars.

The smaller pulleys K, with their ropes on oneV side fastened to one Weight, are used to hold this weight back, if necessary, so that the plank may not slip down in the moment and before the iron structure A is thrown over or down by taking the plank in and out of the warehouse. The small pulleys K on the other side, with their rope attached to the plank, are used to draw up the hind part of the plank, if wished. lVhen not in use, bydrawing up the hind part of the plank and lowering` the weights the gang-plank stands upright on one end and assumes nearly a perpendicular position and takes but very little room in the warehouse and does not interfere with the handling of freight.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A warehouse gang-plank counter-balanced at one end and a structure attached to and adapted to support the other end of the plank and provided with rollers to travel on the platform, substantially as and for the pur- 4o pose described.

2. A warehouse gang-plank counterbalanced at one end and a structure pivotally attached to the other end of the said plank and provided with rollers to travel on the platform and support the outer end of the said plank, said structure being adapted to be folded over on the plank, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A warehouse gang plank counterbalanced at one end, a structure pivotally attached to the other end of the said plank to support the saine, and spring-catches to hold the said structure to the plank, substantially as and in the manner set forth.

4. A warehouse gang-plank counterbalanced at one end, a structure pivotally attached to the other end of the said plank to support the saine and having a brace portion to come up under the said gang-plank, and

spring-catches to lock the saidbrace portion to the said plank, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a gang-plank, of a rod at one end of the plank, having grabhooks, and a lever to rotate said rod to cn- Vgage the grab-hooks with the car or other structure, substantially as described.

6. The com bination,with a warehouse gangplank, of counterbalancmg-weights connected therewith, substantially as and for the purpose described. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO JOSEPH BARON BOESELAGER.

lVitnesses:

ARNOLD RUEF, THos. PALMER.. 

